Summary: Week 1 - 1 Positional Astronomy Introduction

Read the summary and the most important questions on Week 1 - 1 Positional Astronomy Introduction

• 1 Week 1 - 1 Positional Astronomy Introduction

  This is a preview. There are 3 more flashcards available for chapter 1
  Show more cards here

• What objects are visible in the night sky with the human eye or with a telescope?

  Galaxies, star clusters, stars, nebulae

• How many regions are in the Northern Hemisphere?

  88 regions. Each region is associated with a constellation.

• 2 Week 1 - 2 The Celestial Sphere

  This is a preview. There are 8 more flashcards available for chapter 2
  Show more cards here

• What is the celestial sphere?

  An imaginary sphere of infinitely large radius enclosing the universe so that all celestial bodies appear to be projected onto its surface

• How do you determine your coordinates on Earth?

  Latitude and longitude

• What is right ascension (or RA)?

  Celestial longitude measured in hours to the East. In other words, it is the celestial equivlent of longitude. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_ascension) 

• 3 Week 1 - 3 The Local View

  This is a preview. There are 5 more flashcards available for chapter 3
  Show more cards here

• What info is required to describe a star's position?

  Location of the local meridian, star's altitude, & star's azimuth

• 4 Week 1 - 4 Sidereal Time

  This is a preview. There are 6 more flashcards available for chapter 4
  Show more cards here

• What is a circumpolar star?

  A star that never sets from the perspective of a given pole

• What is sidereal time?

  The celestial meridian coinciding with the local meridian

• 5 Week 1 - 5 Where is the Sun?

  This is a preview. There are 4 more flashcards available for chapter 5
  Show more cards here

• When does sidereal time (ST) equal local time (LT)?

  September 21

• True of False? The Sun is fixed on the celestial sphere

  FALSE